How to Use Snap Camera on Discord

The short answer

Snap Camera was a free desktop app from Snap that added Snapchat-style lenses to your webcam and showed up in other apps as a separate camera, called a virtual camera. Snap discontinued Snap Camera in early 2023 and turned off the online service its lenses depended on. You can no longer set it up on Discord the way older guides describe, on Windows or Mac.

The Discord part of the process still applies to virtual camera apps in general. You pick the virtual camera as your video device in Discord's settings, then check the preview. The sections below explain that process and how to tell whether it worked. They also cover what to do if you only want an effect or background on your video.

If you still have Snap Camera installed

An old copy of Snap Camera may still be on your computer, and Discord may still list it as a camera. Because the lens service is shut down, the app is not expected to work as it once did. Lenses may not load, and the feed may show a placeholder or nothing at all. The app also no longer receives updates, so it may stop working after operating-system updates. This is especially likely on newer Macs.

Avoid downloading Snap Camera installers from third-party sites that claim to offer the app. Snap no longer distributes it, so you cannot easily confirm that those files are genuine. Installing them carries a security risk.

Before you start

• Use the Discord desktop app if you plan to use a virtual camera. In the browser version, the browser controls which camera Discord can use.
• Install and open your virtual camera app before you open Discord. If you start it afterward, Discord may not list it until you restart Discord.
• Close other apps that might be using your webcam, such as other video-call apps. Some cameras can only be used by one app at a time.
• On a Mac, be ready to grant permissions in System Settings, as described below.

How to select a virtual camera in Discord

• 1. Open the virtual camera app and confirm it shows your webcam image with the effect you want.
• 2. Open Discord and select the gear icon near your username to open User Settings.
• 3. Go to Voice & Video.
• 4. Under Video Settings, open the Camera menu and choose the virtual camera instead of your physical webcam.
• 5. Select Test Video to show a preview.
• 6. Join a call and turn on your camera to confirm others can see the same image.

How to know it worked

There are three separate things to check: whether Discord can see the camera, whether it captures video, and how the video looks to others.

If the virtual camera appears in the Camera menu, Discord can see it as a device. That alone does not mean it is sending video. If Test Video shows a moving image with your effect, Discord is capturing the feed. A black or frozen preview means the device is listed but not delivering usable video.

The preview does not show what other people see on a call. Their view also depends on your connection and theirs, and Discord may adjust the video during the call. The most reliable check is a short call with someone who can tell you whether the effect looks right, the image is smooth, and the video is not delayed. Video settings do not test your microphone, so check audio separately in the same Voice & Video section.

Extra steps on a Mac

macOS requires your permission before an app can use the camera. Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, select Camera, and turn on access for Discord. Turn it on for the virtual camera app too if it is listed. Quit and reopen Discord after changing this setting, because apps often do not detect the change until they restart.

Some virtual camera apps on macOS install a system extension, which is a component that adds a new camera device to the system. macOS may block the extension until you approve it in Privacy & Security, and it may ask you to restart. If the virtual camera never appears in Discord's Camera menu on a Mac, a missing approval is a common cause. The exact wording of these prompts varies between macOS versions.

If the camera is missing or the preview is black

• Not listed in Discord: confirm the virtual camera app is running, then fully quit and reopen Discord.
• Listed but black: check that the virtual camera app is showing a live image. If its own window is blank, Discord has nothing to display.
• Works in the app but not in Discord: close other apps that may be using the webcam, then try Test Video again.
• On a Mac with no image at all: recheck the Camera permission for Discord and any pending extension approval.
• Old Snap Camera install: assume the app itself is the problem, given its discontinued status, rather than your webcam or Discord.

If you only want a background or effect

If you mainly used Snap Camera to change what appears behind you, you may not need a separate app. Discord's Voice & Video settings include built-in video background options, including blur. Some options may depend on your account plan. These are virtual effects added to your live video, which is different from changing your physical background or editing a background into a photo.

A virtual background works best when you sit in even, steady light and your outline stands out clearly from what is behind you. If the effect flickers around your hair or shoulders, try a plainer physical background or better lighting. Neither change requires extra software.

What this guide can't confirm

No verified information was available about whether any current third-party app reliably recreates Snap Camera's lenses. This guide therefore does not recommend a specific replacement. There are also no numeric settings, such as resolution or frame-rate targets, that confirm a virtual camera is working correctly. The practical tests are a live preview in Discord and a check by someone else on a real call. Menu names in Discord and macOS can change between versions, so the labels here may differ slightly from what you see.